Drones have been heavily used by the construction industry in recent years for anything from progress photos, to employee tracking, or calculating the volume of on-site stockpiles. Now, a report from EHS Today says that OSHA plans to employ more drones to conduct site inspections of employer facilities.
According to the report, OSHA conducted 9 drone inspections in 2019 and another 9 already in 2019. The sites chosen for drone inspections are typically those that are in areas that are too dangerous for humans to enter, like a building collapse, an oil drilling rig fire, and the like. All of the drone inspections currently require employer consent.
Not all OSHA regional offices have adopted a plan to use drones yet. Those that either have a drone team or plan to have a drone team must employ a drone inspection team, including a pilot, a visual observer (who must be an OSHA employee), and a safety monitor. Each office must also have a regional drone program manager.
In the report, EHS Today spoke with attorney Wes Gerrie, who provided some detailed information about OSHA’s plan and some tips regarding how to handle an OSHA drone inspection on one of your own sites. One of the biggest points he stresses is the need to agree to a specific flight plan for the drone to limit OSHA’s ability to find other infractions outside of the initial scope of their inspection.
Gerrie also touches on the ramifications of not consenting to a drone inspection, getting copies of the data collected by the drone, and OSHA’s ability to share information gathered to other government agencies.
Full story: OSHA Steps Up Use of Drones for Inspections | EHS Today
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